Daryl Hall is suing John Oates, and fans can’t go for that
Portrait of American musicians Darryl Hall (left) and John Oates at the Whitehall Hotel, in Chicago, Illinois, on Nov. 5, 1981. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Hall & Oates duo Daryl Hall and John Oates, best known for decades-old classics like "I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)" and "Rich Girl," seem to be "out of touch" amid a recently-filed lawsuit.
Hall filed a lawsuit on Nov. 16 against Oates in Nashville, Tennessee, online court documents show. The suit was first reported by Philadelphia Magazine after being posted on social media by Nashville-based Axios reporter Nate Rau.
Hall and his trust, The Daryl Hall Revocable Trust, sued Oates, as well as his individual trust, The John W. Oates TISA Trust and its co-trustees, in the Nashville Chancery Court.
The details of the lawsuit, which is classified as a "contract/debt" matter, remained sealed – so it’s unclear what specifically prompted the filing.
Since the early ’70s, Hall and Oates’s brand of Philadelphia-born "blue-eyed soul" has scored six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Kiss on My List" and ″I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)."
They also achieved six platinum albums and many more Top 10 singles like "Sara Smile" and ″She’s Gone."
Fans on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, reacted to the news of the lawsuit.
"Daryl Hall is suing John Oates. The documents are sealed so we don’t know why yet. But I’m suddenly depressed," one person wrote.
"Say it ain't so?? My favorite artists of all time," another added.
"oh my god.... daryl hall is suing john oates.... what is happening sfklsa," a third fan posted.
In 2015, the pair together sued Brooklyn-based Early Bird Foods & Co. in federal court, accusing the company of violating trademark protections with the granola-maker’s Haulin’ Oats cereal.
This story was reported from Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.